Nintendo Switch - what do I need?

[Releasedmyinnerabacus]

Hi

I'm getting my children a Nintendo switch for Christmas- it's our first foray into gaming.

What do I need by way of cables - to attach it to the TV etc, or extra memory, or anything else?

It's going to be a joint gift for all three children do I need to get it working on the day. 😬

The switch pro controller is by far the best for playing on your own zombie fan and is entirely official

But you are not exactly taking into account the ops context of a children's xmas present. They are not professional gamers.

What she needs is normal joycon game controllers, the same as every other family uses.

@ZombieFan

"Seriously don't buy joycon. Search switch controller on Amazon, or anywhere. Much better to have a proper controller, it's more comfortable to use and much easier to charge (usually just USB-C)"

What does this even mean? A joycon is the proper controller, its the 'official controller'. Do not buy cheap knock offs, they are a risk (might not work) and not as good (do not have full functionality cannot, do not update software). Don't believe posters trying to get you buying cheap shit.

Joycon are the small controllers that attach to the switch.

It's really not that confusing.

You can buy the bigger video controllers, either Nintendo or non-gen.

Also, no need to be so bloody rude.

I wasn't trying to get anybody to buy 'cheap shit'. Maybe I should have phrased it better. By proper controller I meant the classic style bigger controller, rather that the tiny 'joy con'. Nintendo ones are called Pro Controllers. You CAN buy non-gen, and they're fine, it's not like buying cheap wired accessories that can damage your hardware.

God, some people are rude. I was only trying to help.

Nintendo expensive one: store.nintendo.co.uk/nintendo-switch-accessory/nintendo-switch-wireless-controller-grey/12615008.html

Cheap version:
amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TRQH45S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_aC8DFbNE6KDZB]]

JoyCon (for people who don't know what that means)
store.nintendo.co.uk/nintendo-switch-accessory/nintendo-switch-neon-green-joy-con-l-and-neon-pink-joy-con-r-controller-set/11480183.html

As you can see, this joy con that people keep recommending are more expensive. ALL I meant, was to go with the pro controller.

As you were.

Don't believe posters trying to get you buying cheap shit

LOL! Calm down. No one is saying that the OP should buy cheap, unreliable, shit controllers. Obviously you check reviews before shelling out your cash, but what people are trying to recommend is that the little joycons are not ideal for many people. The more traditional/ergonomic controllers are preferred by many if you're looking for extra controllers for playing multiplayer on the TV screen (i.e. you don't need them to attach to the Switch's main unit.)

@ZombieFan

Can someone explain the difference between the additional controllers and the joycon They are the same thing. The switch comes with 2 controllers/joycons attached. You need to buy extra ones if you want to do a 3/4 player game.

No they aren't.

There are different types of controller for the switch. Maybe don't advise on a thread if you don't have a clue..

@MountainPeakGeek

Don't believe posters trying to get you buying cheap shit

LOL! Calm down. No one is saying that the OP should buy cheap, unreliable, shit controllers. Obviously you check reviews before shelling out your cash, but what people are trying to recommend is that the little joycons are not ideal for many people. The more traditional/ergonomic controllers are preferred by many if you're looking for extra controllers for playing multiplayer on the TV screen (i.e. you don't need them to attach to the Switch's main unit.)

Thank you, yes.. This is what I was (clumsily) trying to day.

ZombieFan, you're a n00b

@SomeHalfHumanCreatureThing

Thank you for the links. I can see the difference now.

As someone who really couldn’t care less about gaming, it really was confusing for me though. I’m out of my comfort zone with this Christmas present.

To be fair, I bought additional joycons instead of the pro controller. This is because I wanted enough controllers for 4 people, if needed.

If it's confusing, I recommend not buying any additional controllers and waiting and seeing what you actually need.

If your child is young a protective sleeve and either way a screen protector.

I'd recommend having a look on the nintendo estore, as there are often games you can download for free.

Like jellybabies, I bought additional joy cons because of the amount needed. There are 4 of us who play, so I’d have needed at least 2 extra pro controllers, and even then that would have left one child using a joy con instead of a pro controller, so I’d have needed 3. Cheaper to buy an extra set of joy cons. If inter-child squabbling over equality won’t be an issue, then I agree it is more comfortable to play using pro controllers. But also weigh up how often you’d be playing with more than 2 players in reality, as with 4 joy cons you can use them as 2x pro controllers.

It all comes down to personal preference, but overall, the flexibility of an extra pair of joy cons works well for us.

Thank you all. We won't be playing for huge amounts of time so I'm going to get an extra set of joy cons and see how we get on. If they really want a pro controller, they have birthdays in March and April so they can have them then!

Glad to hear I don't need to worry about extra cables. And thanks for the suggestion to get it set up early. Cooking Christmas lunch and trying to do that too doesn't appeal!

Can anyone link to the type of memory card needed for the switch? I’m so lost with all this and I don’t want to get the wrong one

Its the same standard microSD memory card that you put in your mobile phone.

Nintendo Switch microSD Memory Card – 64GB

Does anyone know more about the Nintendo switch lite please? Is it simply the case that you can only play on the small handset with the lite, but with the normal one you can play on a big screen?

The Nintendo Switch Lite is smaller and lighter than the original Switch.

It is only a handheld device and you are right, it cannot be played on a big screen. It has no detachable 'Joycons', the controls are integrated with the machine.

If you buying for one child as a portable gaming device then it is a good choice, it you are buying for a family to enjoy together then you need the original Switch.

Thank you Zombie. I am indeed buying it for one child to play on their own. I think it is a good choice for us as so much cheaper.

Does anyone know, if we have 2 switch's, but are playing with 1, can we use the joy con controller things for the one switch to play 4 player or would we need to buy separate ones?

@SweetPeaPods

Does anyone know, if we have 2 switch's, but are playing with 1, can we use the joy con controller things for the one switch to play 4 player or would we need to buy separate ones?

I have been told that you can but haven’t tested this myself.

@SweetPeaPods

Does anyone know, if we have 2 switch's, but are playing with 1, can we use the joy con controller things for the one switch to play 4 player or would we need to buy separate ones?

Yes you can, you just need to sync them, which is very easy.

Can anyone recommend non-Nintendo joy cons which are decent quality please

Definitely buy the charging block that charges 4 joy cons at once, absolute nightmare to keep them all charged if you don’t have this.

We also bought extra joy cons, my son doesn’t like to play with the pro controllers, much prefers a joy con and we’ve all managed fine with them.

@slithytoveisascientist We have two of these:

Mario Controller

They are fine, no problems apart from when we first plugged them in - they didn’t work and I thought they were money down the drain. I did a quick google however and managed to find a solution. I think it involved rebooting the switch and plugging the cables in a particular order. In any case it worked, and we’ve had no problems since. The only drawback is that they are wired, as opposed to wireless, but the cables are pretty long.